To most stories there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning is often humble, starting small and slow before it breaks the surface of the plot. The middle is a transformative period during which the story overcomes challenges, achieves milestones, and finds its audience. And sometimes the end, if you play your cards right in the beginning and the middle, is replaced by a legacy. Sealevel Construction’s beginning was in Thibodaux, Louisiana, back in 1997. A small construction firm operating primarily as a municipal contractor, Sealevel found its feet performing small municipal jobs. The middle of the Sealevel story spans over two decades and is one of hard work and dedication, resulting in a growth spurt that secured the company’s position within the market. Today, Sealevel is a private, locally owned heavy civil contractor working on high-profile contracts reaching values above three-hundred million.
Kathleen Rodrigue, Marketing Manager at Sealevel, says that the key to Sealevel’s continued success is its common-sense approach to doing business and its ability to foster lasting relationships. These drivers allow for projects to be carried out efficiently and cost effectively, which makes for satisfied customers and ultimately translates into repeat business and steady growth. “When I started here in 2019, Sealevel had about 150 employees,” says Kathleen, “and that number has grown to close to 400 now. That really speaks to how we were able to develop our lines of services and hone our craft while developing our team. We’ve really put our foot forward and have grown a lot throughout the years. We’re now operating in eight states, primarily in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region.”
Following two busy decades, Sealevel has developed its capabilities to the point where it can self-perform an extensive range of services across the marine, industrial, municipal, and oil and gas sectors. This turnkey operation includes pile driving, drilled deep foundations, structural concrete, structural steel fabrication, marine construction, site work development, civil construction, and mechanical utilities. “Deep foundations are our bread and butter, and now due to all of the services we’ve added on, we can now complete multi-phased, complex projects turnkey.”
Sealevel has also acquired affiliated companies. Kathleen said, “We now have a tugboat company, Eagle Marine Towing, that handles all marine transportation and logistics, and a marine yard, Eagle Drydock and Marine Services, to service all types of marine equipment. We also have a heavy equipment repair company that facilitates repairs to cranes and an electrical unit as well. The company has truly grown in the last 10 years and has become a premier contractor in South Louisiana.”
Today, much of Sealevel’s work consists of large-scale, high-profile projects, including the Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex, a multi-million-dollar initiative currently underway as part of Louisiana’s 2023 Coastal Master Plan. This navigation, flood protection, and hydrologic restoration project will allow for the maintenance of acres of wetlands within the Terrebonne Basin by limiting saltwater intrusion and distributing freshwater. The completed development will span 110 feet across and 800 feet in length and will sit directly adjacent to an existing floating structure called the Bubba Dove barge floodgate.
The completed HNC Lock Complex will allow vessels to travel in either direction on the HNC while the floodgate is closed to protect communities from storm surge or high-water events, ultimately benefiting the area’s ecosystem suffering from saltwater intrusion. “This is a project that Terrebonne Parish and neighboring communities have been wanting to execute and accomplish for many years now,” Kathleen says. “When funding for the project finally became available, Sealevel won the general contract, which is $320 million and expected to span over the next four years.”
The HNC Lock project is Sealevel’s biggest project to date, and the company’s extensive service offering makes it possible for them to self-perform most of the scope of work. “We’re installing all the sheet piles, and we have about 1,000 pipe piles of various sizes that were also installing, about 1,000 concrete pilings of various sizes, and timber piles. We’re doing all that turnkey. We’ll also be self-performing all the site work which we’re doing right now, and we’re handling all of the structural fabrication components through our fabrication division, Specks Fabrication and Cutting. We’re also installing all concrete on the project.” Phase 1 of the project saw Sealevel dredge over 1 million cubic yards of material to prepare the area for the lock complex and create 150 acres of marsh in six areas north of the complex along the navigation channel. Phase 2 of the project includes construction of Inland and Gulf-side sector gates as well as the lock chamber to complete the HNC Lock Complex, as well as the operations area, the control building, and the 175-foot control building access bridge. Phase 2 will also see Sealevel hydraulically dredging approximately 860,000 cubic yards of material to reestablish 130 acres of brackish marsh habitat, ultimately benefiting the area’s ecosystem and wildlife.
“We’re continuing to grow as a leader in the industrial sector, securing jobs with key clients. It’s been a good run for Sealevel on both the marine and industrial sides.”
There is a buzz of excitement in South Louisiana, and in particular between the walls of Sealevel’s head office in Thibodaux, as the HNC Lock Complex project kicks off. “We are a local team, so it’s local people self-performing the work in their local parishes,” Kathleen says. “That’s something pretty unique for us. For most of our people it’s about an hour or less to get to the project. It’s a pretty big project, and its monumental for the area. Everyone’s really excited to have started.”
At the core of the project-and in all of Sealevel’s work- is a safety-first approach that exceeds regulatory requirements. Sealevel’s commitment to safety has been recognized year after year by the ABC National Safety Excellence awards program. Sealevel also has a full-time time health and safety team on board to implement strategies and keep this commitment in check. Safety is number one on Sealevel’s list of core values followed by innovation, community, passion, accountability, and finally, faith-driven integrity. As Sealevel continues to navigate the changing construction industry and look ahead towards new markets, it is these core values that light the way.
The HNC Lock project puts Sealevel in a great position as it navigates the next four years, with a steady flow of local work never far out of reach. “The future looks good for Sealevel,” says Kathleen. “We have the four-year HNC project and several other marine jobs that will keep us very busy. We’re also continuing to grow as a leader in the industrial sector, securing jobs with key clients. It’s been a good run for Sealevel on both the marine and industrial sides and having those turnkey capabilities to work in all these sectors of Louisiana is really big for us.”
Sealevel has worked tirelessly year after year to establish itself as a trusted civil contractor with a diversely skilled team and a strong work ethic. This is the reputation that keeps Sealevel securing jobs like the HNC Lock Complex project, and it is that same reputation that will keep the company above sea level (and below it!) way into the future.
